The Virtual Memories Show
A weekly conversation about books, art, comics and culture -- not necessarily in that order. Hosted by Gil Roth
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Episode 586 - Jen Silverman
04/23/2024
Episode 586 - Jen Silverman
Author-playwright-screenwriter-poet returns to the show to celebrate their amazing new novel, (Random House). We get into how Jen accidentally stumbled into the 2018 Gilets Jaunes protests in Paris and triggered this new book, the ways we're shaped by our parents' failures and secrets, the many routes of radicalization, and the theatricality of protests, how they draw people in (with a boost from ), and how they contrast with theater itself. We also talk about the role of art in understanding the times, how Jen's stories start with character, their work on and how TV writing differs from other storytelling modes, what it means to protest alongside someone whose politics you disagree with, and what the pandemic era has taught them about community. Plus we discuss the nirvana of , learning to use research without being beholden to it, ways to be an effective, engaged human (not just engaged/enraged), the contrast between book and theater critics, the existential question of the past few years, and, oh yeah, whether or not people can change. Follow Jen on • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 585 - Leonard Barkan
04/15/2024
Episode 585 - Leonard Barkan
With (Fordham), professor blends memoir and deep reading of Shakespeare's greatest plays to explore his lifelong relationship with literature and the way(s) we use art to construct our identities. We get into what it means to read, hear, perform, direct, teach Shakespeare, why it took him a lifetime to get to this book, how he contrasts himself with a radically naive reader (and why it's important to try to capture our naïveté), the gayness of Shakespeare's two Antonios, the many stories he couldn't tell until his folks were gone, and the role Shakespeare played in Leonard's gay coming of age. We also talk about Narcissism vs. Wissenschaft, his next book about the WWII loss of 434 paintings by the Great Masters (!), Cervantes' role as Shakespeare's literary peer, the on-stage therapy session he held at his career-celebration, and his stint as a theater director and what it taught him about teaching. Plus we discuss the strangeness of King Lear's opening scene, the eerie humor of Hamlet, the fraught subject of having kids, the glory & limitations of mimesis, how it felt to see his book on a bookshelf in , the lifelong struggle of living up to his promise, and a lot more. More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 584 - Emily Raboteau
04/09/2024
Episode 584 - Emily Raboteau
After a ~10-year gap, rejoins the show to celebrate her amazing new essay collection, (Holt). We talk about her sparkbird and the in Washington Heights that center the book, her transformation into a climate activist, the joy of the flaneuse, her scavenger hunt for 's environmental art, and the idea of pain with a purpose. We also get into the differences between mothering & motherhood, the reason she put "the Apocalypse" in quotes in her subtitle, how COVID lockdown made her realize her kids' lives had been overscheduled (and how lockdown gave them some room to breathe), and the nor'easter-battered book-event in Princeton that corroborated her book's community-thesis. Plus we discuss her dream of interviewing , how we need to overcome pandemic-amnesia, the place her children really want to visit, how she's changed as a writer , what the difference is between surviving and living, and a lot more. Follow Emily on , and • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Bonus Episode - Trillian Stars and Kyle Cassidy
04/08/2024
Bonus Episode - Trillian Stars and Kyle Cassidy
Photographer and writer and actor and model join us for a Bonus Episode to talk about their new Kickstarter, (closing May 4, 2024)! We get into their inspiration to make a book combining the poems of Pre-Raphaelite muse/model/artist with photos of Trillian (in a Pre-Raphaelite mode), how the project changed once they began shooting in East London, how they found enough costumes for all the photos they wanted to take, why Lizzie Siddal was dismissed by the peers of her husband, , and how modeling and acting overlap and differ (and why Kyle prefers shooting with actors). We also get into what they've learned from nearly a dozen Kickstarters, what stretch goals they're hoping to reach for this one, and why they want to give Lizzie Siddal the book she never got when she was alive. , and follow Kyle on (!?) and , and follow Trillian on • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 583 - Leela Corman
04/02/2024
Episode 583 - Leela Corman
At long last, artist joins the show as we celebrate her breathtaking new graphic novel, (Schocken Books)! We talk about how the book brings together the women welders of WWII-era Brooklyn Navy Yards, professional wrestling, and her lifelong obsession with the Shoah, how discovering her watercolor style was like the portal between life and death opening, the art school experience that derailed her, and how the artistic ground start shifting beneath her as she got serious about her comics. We get into her life-defining visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the sacred responsibility of teaching, the influence of New Objectivity (& a bazillion other styles and modes of art & storytelling) on her work, why she brought characters from her earlier GN into Victory Parade, her twin polestars of Primo Levi & Lisa Carver, and her . Plus we discuss the Gen X practice of warts-and-all autobio comics, transgenerational trauma and the next book in her 'Birnbaumiad' triptych, the BS of artist's statements, the revelation of Neko Case's music, and a lot more. Follow Leela on and , and support her work on • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 582 - Keith Mayerson
03/26/2024
Episode 582 - Keith Mayerson
How did an eBay search lead to the discovery of a lost classic of comics? How can art help us build a better America? Artist and teacher joins the show to talk about co-editing the amazing new book, (Fantagraphics) and his multi-decade "wordless novel" in paintings, (Karma). We get into how Frank Johnson made thousands of pages of comics in private, never published, and may have created the first American comic-book in history, whether he constitutes an Outsider Artist, how his creative legacy contrasts with 's, and what it means to make a lifelong body of work with no sense or expectation of a readership. We also get into Keith's My American Dream project, its roots in 9/11 & the GWBush era, how his paintings play off of each other like panels in a comic (and how the curation of art exhibitions is a form of comics), the mash-up of key cultural figures of modern America, his art-subject trinity of James Dean, Elvis, and Keanu Reeves (and his story of meeting Keanu), how My American Dream works to synthesize aspects of Warhol & Rembrandt (& Haring), and the vitality of his painting of and the significance of the Muppets in his vision of America. Plus we discuss Keith's art & comics upbringing, the process of building comics programs at SVA and USC, his , the artistic act of suturing in to his subjects, why the job of art is keeping hope alive, how he felt when he found a parallel, secret history of comics taking place solely in one person's mind, and a lot more. Follow Keith on • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 581 - Edith Hall
03/20/2024
Episode 581 - Edith Hall
Classicist joins the show to talk about her fantastic, important new book, (Yale University Press). We talk about the taboo of talking about suicide, how that taboo can lead to transgenerational damage, how that compares to the family curses in Greek tragedies, and what the Tragedians have to teach us about life (and death) today. We get into her grandmother's suicide and her mother's conspiracy of silence around it, her own suicidal ideation and how Heracles Mad helped her through her worst phase, the way Facing Down the Furies sprung from Edith's previous book, , the process of researching her family history after her mother's death, and how Philoctetes embodies It Gets Better. We also get into the gender difference of existentialists and the crappy behavior of male philosophers, the gender difference in our readings of Alcestis, why she's Team Iliad (and supports my reading of Achilles' tragedy), the one Greek tragedy that she wishes survived to reach us, and a lot more. Also, I go LONG in the intro about some family stuff that came up in the lead-in to this episode. It should go without saying: content/trigger warning if discussions about suicide are a problem for you. Follow Edith on • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Bonus Episode - Dean Haspiel
03/17/2024
Bonus Episode - Dean Haspiel
LEAN INTO DEAN! Cartoonist, playwright, schmoozer, etc. returns for a Bonus Episode to talk about his new Kickstarter, (closing March 28, 2024)! We get into why he's making the plunge into Meta-Mem-Noir and bringing Dean Haspiel as a character into his New Brooklyn comics universe, what it's like to be part of the story, and how this podcast is also becoming more autobiographical with each passing week. Plus, we talk about getting old and not being able to stay out all night (even though he tried this weekend), what it's like to treat comics as a reductive art rather than a rendering one, the play Dino's working on, what he's learned from his previous Kickstarter projects, and , why he's holding off on reading the finale of 's project, and more! Follow Dean on , and . . . !? • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 580 - David Small
03/12/2024
Episode 580 - David Small
With his brand new collection, (Liveright), brings us a trio of stories about the beast within (that is, within the heart, within the psyche, and within the body politic). We talk about the on-and-off 40-year history of this collection, the themes of transformation and aging that suffuse these stories, and the schism in Leonora Carrington's estate that nearly derailed the whole project. We get into the the challenges of adapting prose fiction into comics, his move from graphic novels (think and ) to short stories, why he's come to love drawing digitally, and just how bad most surrealist fiction can be. We also discuss the decline in kids' books, our respective life changes from , his Truman Capote kick, how we deal with monstrous artists, how hard he has to work to make his drawings look like they were done in 15 seconds, and a lot more. • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 579 - Brad Gooch
03/05/2024
Episode 579 - Brad Gooch
With (Harper), brings us the biography of , an artist who transformed public art & the art world in the 1980s and whose work has become part of global culture in the three decades since his untimely death from AIDS. We get into Brad's common threads with Haring, the parallels between this book and his , how fatherhood helped Brad better understand Haring, and his surprise at discovering what a serious artist Haring was. We talk about why Haring's work makes more sense now than in the '80s, what he would have made of social media, the fire that drove him to make more than 10,000 pieces of art in his decade-plus career, the relationship of Haring to artists of color (among other race issues), where the Radiant Baby image came from, and what the younger gay population doesn't know about the AIDS crisis. We also discuss the incredible memorial of Keith and at a recent Madonna concert, why 60 is a great age to start having kids, how Instagram reminds him of '80s social life, the parallels between the AIDS crisis and the early months of COVID, what Brad's learned in the course of writing four biographies, why reminds him of Karl Ove Knausgaard's (!), and more. Follow Brad on and listen to our and conversations, and check out the • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 578 - Japan
02/25/2024
Episode 578 - Japan
No conversation this week, except for our host, Gil Roth, in conversation with some virtual memories of his own! On the occasion of going to the movies for the first time since 2018, to see ’ amazing new film , he reflects on a cusp-of-pandemic trip to Japan. This one’s got & , a misplaced fortune, , an empty parking lot, Country & Western, a special 5K run, a big bag of , and more, so give it a listen. • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 577 - Scott Guild
02/20/2024
Episode 577 - Scott Guild
With his fantastic debut novel, (Pantheon), brings us a dystopian future of eco-terrorism, meta-reality, and . . . a world populated by plastic figurines who break out in song? We talk about the 10-year process of writing the book, how he found the stylistic elements that made it work, and why making the lead characters plastic let him bring comedy into his apocalyptic vision of the future. We get into Scott's history as a musician and how songwriting differs from fiction, (with all sorts of great artists) to accompany the novel, why he'd love to do live performances of it, and how the songs changed genre from the ones in the novel. We also discuss his writing influences, esp. Kafka & Plath, why he dedicated PLASTIC to his high school English teacher, how he accidentally created his own Barbenheimer (the movie created a conceptual entry point for readers, but the characters are under the -esque shadow of a nuclear war), why he didn't show his novel to his wife until 3-4 months before their wedding, whether he played with dolls as a kid (spolier: we both did), who wins in the Dostoevsky-Tolstoy Steel Cage Match, and a lot more. Follow Scott on and • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 576 - Aaron Lange
02/13/2024
Episode 576 - Aaron Lange
What is the meaning of Cleveland? Cartoonist joins the show to talk about (Stone Church Press), his breathtaking new graphic novel that weaves together obscure records, urban legends and psychographic history. We talk about Aaron's fascination with Cleveland's punk scene, why the musician stood out to him, the way Cleveland's hidden landmarks pointed him toward this massive project. We get into the research and interviews Aaron conducted for Ain't It Fun, the process of editing this work into a looping, flaneur-like, discursive (but never aimless) narrative, and the influence of Greil Marcus' , Iain Sinclair's , and . We also discuss post-Laughner Pere Ubu, using graphic design rather than panel-to-panel cartooning, visiting the zodiac circle by the Cleveland Museum of Art at all 4 equinoxes, chronicling the city's brutalist architecture, the constraints of the comics market on a book that defies easy description, and a lot more. Follow Aaron on and support via (which doubles as Aaron's blog) • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 575 - Donald J Robertson
02/06/2024
Episode 575 - Donald J Robertson
With (Yale University Press), author & therapist brings us the life and philosophy of the last of the . We talk about how knowing the life and travails of Marcus Aurelius helps one understand how to lead a Stoic life, how the Antonine Plague compares with our life in Pandemia, the reasons Donald found modern biographies of Marcus Aurelius wanting, and how this book brought him new understanding of the intricacies of Ancient Roman life and Marcus Aurelius' big decisions. We also get into the role of Stoicism in his own life and how that philosophy's been debased into the unhealthy "lower-case stoicism", the literal toxicity of being a tough guy, how Stoicism and its nuanced view of emotions inspired modern Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, why the psychotherapy field is resistant to acknowledging Stoicism's contribution, and why Freudians really disapprove (think symptom substitution). We discuss the importance of building emotional resilience and understanding one's value judgements, Robert Burns' role as a gateway drugs to Stoicism, the alternate history in which Socrates was part of Christian tradition, Donald's Eureka! moment and how he accidentally became a writer, how can help me live a fuller mortal life, and a lot more. Follow Donald on , and , and subscribe to his and his • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 574 - Elizabeth Flock
01/30/2024
Episode 574 - Elizabeth Flock
With her incredible new book, (Harper), journalist explores the lives of three women who responded to violence with violence, and how they run up against the social institutions that seem designed to grind them down. We get into how the book grew from her interest in female vigilantes and her own experience of sexual violence, how she wound up reporting on the YPJ all-women army in Syria (but didn't tell her mom until a few days before flying out there), how we try to reconcile revenge and a just world, and how cultures of honor wreak havoc on women and men. We talk about how she balanced reporting with the near-mythic characters of some of her subjects, what she's learned over 15+ years in journalism (including how not to re-traumatize her subjects as they tell her their stories), the mind-body connection & how wrecked her body got by the time she finished writing this book, and how she went into this book starry-eyed and came away with a muddied picture. And we discuss how flexible podcasts are for journalistic storytelling, how women and men have responded to The Furies, what it was like reporting during the pandemic, guns & gun culture (& my embarrassing gun story), that time her dad took her to a murder scene when she was a kid (tbf, he was a journalist), having her first child a few months ago, whether things are getting a little better for women, and a lot more. Follow Liz on and • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 573 - David Thomson
01/23/2024
Episode 573 - David Thomson
Hey! Anything good on TV? No? Then listen to legendary film critic as we discuss his amazing new book, (Yale University Press)! David & I get into how TV has changed and how it's changed us, the communal experience of going to the movies vs. sitting on the sofa, the ways his relationship with his wife deepened in front of the tube during lockdown (and why he gave her some of the best lines in Remotely), and the personal, political, & social implications of watching crap over a long period of time. We talk about falling into the stream of streaming, how advertising was the snake in American TV's garden, BBC's very strange exception for its licence fee, the courage in actually writing about what he's watching (even though Remotely isn't a critical guide), and what made Ozark special to him. We also discuss ' transformation of TV criticism, the end of a golden age of TV, the importance of live sports events, the joy of seeing Barbie in a packed theater, how everything points to a world where no one is in charge, and a lot more. • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 572 - Sammy Harkham
01/16/2024
Episode 572 - Sammy Harkham
With his graphic novel, (Pantheon), tells a story of personal and professional disintegration, against the backdrop of exploitation movies and the Iraqi Jewish diaspora in '70s L.A. We get into the obsessions and family lore that drove him to make the book, why it took him 14 years to complete it, what it means to focus on the 'novel' part of 'graphic novel', and how craft is always trying to catch up to ambition. We talk about the need to get past the cliches of the 'inside Hollywood' story, what he learned about his process over the course of making this book, why he didn't read the earlier chapters until he finished the story, and the John Steinbeck advice that got him over the finish line. We also discuss his comics upbringing, his thoughts on the late Joe Matt, the panels that have haunted him for decades, the joyful anxiety of not knowing what his next project will be, and a lot more. Follow Sammy on • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 571 - Ed Subitzky
01/10/2024
Episode 571 - Ed Subitzky
The great cartoonist and humorist gets his long-delayed due with the new collection, ! (New York Review Comics). We talk about Ed's amazing career at National Lampoon, how he developed his "can't draw' style after taking a cartooning class with & Charles Slackman A DOZEN TIMES, how the Rapidograph became his Excalibur, and why this collection includes some of his favorite prose pieces alongside all the comics. We get into how he began experimenting with the form & structure of comics, his lifelong curiosities for science and philosophy and how he wound up getting published in the Journal of Consciousness Studies, his longtime career writing direct marketing pieces, and how it took preparing this book and looking back at his work for him to realize his comics were really funny. • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 570 - Chris Silverman
01/02/2024
Episode 570 - Chris Silverman
Did you make a 2024 resolution to put down your phone? This week's guest might make you rethink that! has been making gorgeous, weird, haunting artwork daily for more than 2 years, using only his iPhone's Notes app and his fingertips. We get into how #notesArt began, how it's evolved, what his drawing process is like, what it's been like to build an audience for his art, and how viewers bring their own meanings to his #notesArt. We talk about the challenges of keeping up a regular art practice (daily!), how upgrading to iOS17 jump-started his new creative phase, the artists and cartoonists who influence him, whether Undo is his friend or enemy, his fascination with traffic lights, empty buildings, and masks, and the subconscious burbling that gives birth to the images he draws. We also share our thoughts on mortality, authenticity and identity, what it means to share your art with the world, , and a lot more! Follow Chris & #notesArt on , , , and at • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 569 - Silence
12/28/2023
Episode 569 - Silence
Our host, Gil Roth, closes out 2023 with the story of a week of transformations! This one's got a Yom Kippur fast gone trippy, and a bathroom-door-induced concussion, a lightning-bolt realization about grief and mourning, a secret mission at a comics festival in Ohio, the Book of Life & the books of the dying, a pharma conference, crying eyes and deaf ears and a mess of signs & portents, plus a dwarf, a salamander, and a lot more. But seriously, it's about coming to terms with the loss of a dear friend, and what it means to know you're not alone, so give it a listen. More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 568 - The Guest List 2023
12/19/2023
Episode 568 - The Guest List 2023
Seventeen of this year's Virtual Memories Show guests tell us about the favorite books they read in 2023 and the books they hope to get to in 2024! Guests include Ho Che Anderson, Josh Bayer, Howard Fishman, Priscilla Gilman, Bill Griffith, Dean Haspiel, Sara Lippmann, Patrick McDonnell, James McMullan, Lisa Morton, Jonathan Papernick, Andrew Porter, Dawn Raffel, Paul B. Rainey, Peter Rostovsky, Scott Samuelson, and Karl Stevens (+ me)! • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and by subscribing to our
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Episode 567 - Jarrett Earnest
12/12/2023
Episode 567 - Jarrett Earnest
For the last guest-episode of 2023, art critic joins me to celebrate his beautiful new book, (Matte Editions), which brings together his Polaroids and a second-person narrative to create a bewitching trip through memory, art, grief, friendship, and more. We talk about how the sudden death of his father paralyzed and then catalyzed him, the importance of making art before fully recovering from a bad experience, how the artist's job is to be a question mark, and how a started him on taking pictures of the people and places that mattered to him. We get into his friendships with and , and Genesis' imprecation to do/make/be the Most Fabulous Imaginable Version, the importance of road trips and pilgrimages, what he learned from interviewing a series of art critics, the freedom & addictiveness of writing in the second person, why we need to make an argument about why any art matters at all today, and why he loves writing about artists he knows. Plus, we discuss the value of public-facing life in NYC, how it felt to perform selections from Valid Until Sunset, how he thinks of writing in terms of shape, the importance of having a really good analyst and really dumb personal trainer, why you don't need to be part of , and a lot more. Follow Jarrett on and subscribe to his • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 566 - Christian Wiman
12/04/2023
Episode 566 - Christian Wiman
With his new book, (FSG), fuses essay, poem, memoir and anthology in a singular work that explores how the act of writing a poem is a gesture of faith. We talk about the varieties of despair and joy, the question of whether the world is chaos or has order, and whether the relationship between art and life is a tension or an actual antipathy (as Henry James would have it). We also get into the urgency of mortality and the rare cancer that almost killed Christian on three separate occasions (including this year), the notion of having a calling and the difference between given and earned callings, who we're really trying to reach when we write a poem, whether Philip Larkin's is a poem of pure despair, how literature has taken the place of sacred texts, and what he's learned from teaching at Yale Divinity School. We also discuss The Void & how to tune it out, his thoughts on faith and Christ and how the incarnation of God in Jesus sacralizes the physical world, where poetry began for him, whether joy is passed down epigenetically like trauma (allegedly) is, what it's like having a Ninja Blender for a brain, coming around on poets in translation like , the meaning of existence, and a lot more (I mean, if you can have a lot more after the meaning of existence). More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 565 - Danny Fingeroth
11/28/2023
Episode 565 - Danny Fingeroth
With the 60th anniversary of the assassinations of JFK & Lee Harvey Oswald, brings us the new biography, (Chicago Review Press). Danny & I talk about what drew him to tell Ruby's story, how many JFK conspiracy rabbit-holes he had to avoid, the challenges of separating Ruby's life from myth & speculation, and how the bio began as a graphic novel collaboration with (!) before its prose incarnation (although he's still hoping for an adaptation). We get into what he learned from talking to Ruby's rabbi, Hillel Silverstein, the figures he would have loved to interview for this book, what Ruby's siblings & their kids went through in the aftermath of Jack's moment of infamy, the circus of Ruby's murder trial and 's failed epilepsy defense, and the danger of treating Ruby's life like a sitcom. We also discuss Danny's dizzying résumé, including his 20-year run as a writer & editor at Marvel Comics, discovering himself as a biographer with , the complexity of the (working) relationships of Lee, Jack Kirby & Steve Ditko, the surreal of experience of meeting while promoting JACK RUBY, and more! Follow Danny on , , , and • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 564 - Matt Bors
11/21/2023
Episode 564 - Matt Bors
With , cartoonist & editor helped build an online (and print!) venue for political satire, graphic journalism and non-fiction comics that featured some of the best names in comics and gave space to a bazillion up-and-comers. Matt & I sat down during CXC to talk about his decision to close down The Nib after 10 years, how it felt to bring together the best political cartoonists under a single online umbrella, how tech money giveth and taketh away, and what this fall's farewell tour means to him. We get into what comes after The Nib (like comic), how it felt to see one of his comics displayed on the floor of the House of Representatives, the challenges & rewards of building a diverse roster of cartoonists, why he always wanted , and how mainstream comics and dystopian science fiction have always held an appeal for him (and why he'd love to do more with his Wasteland characters). We also discuss how it feels to have traded America for Canada and how the move has changed his perspective, the ways his post-Nib self spends less time getting mad online, how he plans to catch up on all the comics he's missed in the last decade, what it's like having his first two-week stretch as an adult without immediate editorial deadlines, and more! Follow Matt on , , and • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 563 - Phillip Lopate
11/14/2023
Episode 563 - Phillip Lopate
With his new collection, (NYRB), master essayist explores the world & himself through the mode of a weekly blog. We get into how he adapted to a short, time-constrained essay form for , how he avoided The Columnist's Curse (limitless curiosity helps!), whether an essayist can truly write about anything, and how he has and hasn't changed since the 2016-17 period in which he wrote these pieces. We talk about Phillip's integration of the private and public self in his writing, how his wife & daughter felt about being included in this book, the question of whether he's fulfilled as a writer, why he hides his journal, and how editing the three collections allowed him to leave something canonical behind for students & readers. We also discuss how it feels when readers thinking they know him from his essays, how his books and essays add up to a fragmentary, lifelong memoir (and why he'll likely never write an actual memoir or autobiography), why his multiple myeloma diagnosis was more of a psychological hit than a physical one, how he found himself working on a biography of Washington Irving, the benefits of a fragmentary unitary self, the career validation of being inducted into the, and a LOT more. • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 562 - Leslie Stein
11/07/2023
Episode 562 - Leslie Stein
With her wonderful, hilarious & heartfelt new graphic novel, (Drawn & Quarterly), cartoonist brings us the story of Major Threat, a getting-over-the-hill indy band on tour. During SPX 2023, we talked about how she mined the raw material of her own rock & roll tour experiences (and those of her friends) to make a comedy about touring life, why she started it during COVID lockdown in 2020, and how serializing it on Instagram served as an antidote to doomscrolling. We got into the evolution of her cartooning style and how she finds new modes to work in, the expectations vs. the reality of artistic life, the experience of going viral with (and her time playing in a Nirvana cover band). We also discussed going back to cons & festivals, why it's important to be an entertaining panelist, the role of music in art-making, why it's best not to open up emotionally to your bandmates when on tour, and more. Follow Leslie on and go • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 561 - Josh Bayer
10/31/2023
Episode 561 - Josh Bayer
With his new graphic novel/memoir, (Uncivilized Books), cartoonist explores family trauma, memory, art, and more. We get into how Josh spent five years trying to adapt his late father's unfinished play into a comic, the ways it did & didn't help him come to terms with his father's life and his mother's death, and why he blurs out his character's face on the page. We talk about the punk rock inspiration in his writing and art, the systems he uses to pull him out of storytelling morasses and how he learned to teach them to his students, learning to cope with his ADD (and wondering whether I have it too), studying at in his 30s, and why he pursued comics over fine art. We also discuss mental health and treatment and how we deal with our father-issues, Josh's recent stint working at 's , the impact of the exhibition on his career, why it's tough to be Rollins, the question of whether he's forgiven his dad, and a lot more. Follow Josh on and • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 560 - Adam Sisman
10/20/2023
Episode 560 - Adam Sisman
With (Harper), Adam Sisman reveals the secrets he couldn't publish in 2015's , and explores how serial deception & betrayals — through the multiple affairs le Carré (a.k.a. David Cornwell) conducted during both of his marriages — can provide a key to understanding the late, great spy novelist. We get into how Adam became a combo detective-psychoanalyst-confessor during his work on the biography, how he learned of le Carré's messy private life, why he decided to wait until after the author and his wife had died before publishing this new book, and whether he felt le Carré was manipulating him during their interviews. We talk about le Carré's monumental achievements chronicling the Cold War and Britain's decline (& his top 3 le Carré novels), the man's undeniable charm & his self-mythologizing, the times when he thought the biography might not happen, how he felt when le Carré after Adam's biography came out, and the ways in which le Carré's upbringing — abandoned by his mother, reared by a con man father he struggled to escape from — may have contributed to his devotion to duplicity & seduction. We also discuss the moment Adam realized that biography is a human process, his thoughts on the new , the limits of interviews in general (NO!), what it means to put le Carré behind him with this new book, and plenty more. • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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Episode 559 - Lisa Morton
10/17/2023
Episode 559 - Lisa Morton
Let's celebrate spooky season with (Applause Books)! Author & I talk about her new book and the fun of researching the history of zombies in pop culture and folklore, the challenge & joy of assembling the 500 illustrations in the book (including one-sheets, stills, alternative art, and more), and how she got messed up at an early age by . We get into her history of horror (it was all over once she saw ), how she found herself as a writer and wound up with 6 Bram Stoker Awards®, her take on fast vs. slow zombies, and what she found researching the at UPitt. We also discuss her experience as a bookseller in Los Angeles (go, !), getting her heart broken by screenwriting, her work to bring the classic anthology to a new reading public, and a lot more. Follow Lisa on , and • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
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